Flexible, inflatable packaging materials and methods of making and using same

ABSTRACT

The presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) relates generally to packaging materials for packaging articles, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a packaging material which includes, in one embodiment, a plurality of individual strips, strands, or units of material bondably connected to the exterior surface of a flexible, inflatable substrate to form a cohesive inflatable cushioning unit for use as a packaging material.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE STATEMENT

The following patents and patent applications are hereby expresslyincorporated herein by reference: U.S. Ser. No. 13/011,325, filed Jan.21, 2011; U.S. Ser. No. 12/634,086, filed Dec. 9, 2009; U.S. Ser. No.11/283,008, filed Nov. 18, 2005; U.S. Ser. No. 10/383,413, filed Mar. 7,2003; U.S. Ser. No. 09/934,301, filed on Aug. 21, 2001, now U.S. Pat.No. 6,534,136, issued Mar. 18, 2003; U.S. Ser. No. 09/094,182, filedJun. 9, 1998.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) relatesgenerally to packaging materials for packaging articles, and moreparticularly, but not by way of limitation, to a packaging materialwhich includes, in one embodiment, a decorative border and a pluralityof individual strips, strands, or units of material bondably connectedto the exterior surface of a flexible, inflatable substrate to form acohesive inflatable cushioning unit for use as a packaging material.

2. Brief Description of the Related Art

In the process of shipping an article from one location to another, thearticle is typically placed in a container along with a protectivepackaging material to fill the voids about the article and to cushionthe article during the shipping process. One common protective packagingmaterial is comprised of a plurality of plastic foam, peanut-shapedmembers which are commonly known as “Styrofoam peanuts.” An advantage inusing Styrofoam peanuts is the ease with which they may be disposedabout an article positioned in a container by simply pouring theStyrofoam peanuts from a dispenser.

While Styrofoam peanuts have been widely accepted in the packagingindustry, they are not without disadvantages. For example, their lightweight and flowability results in heavier objects gravitating throughthe peanuts to the bottom of the container where the heavier objects canbe damaged. Also, while the flowability of the Styrofoam peanutsfacilitates the introduction of the peanuts into a container, thereceiver of the package is left with having to deal with cleaning up themess left by the peanuts which are easily scattered upon removal of thearticle from the container.

These and other disadvantages associated with the disposal of Styrofoampeanuts, has made paper protective packaging material a popularalternative. Paper is biodegradable, recyclable, and renewable thereforemaking it an environmentally responsible choice. However, like Styrofoampeanuts, paper packaging materials is not without disadvantages. Paper,particularly shredded paper, can be inconvenient to clean up and todispose of due to the lack of cohesiveness of the packaging material.Due to the lack of resiliency in paper products, large amounts of paperare typically required to provide the bulk needed to adequately cushionan object.

Strips of sheet material formed into tufts have also been used for manyyears as a packaging material. More specifically, material known asdecorative grass has been used in fruit baskets, Easter baskets, picnicbaskets, and for other packaging and decorative purposes. The decorativegrass of the prior art has been produced by numerous methods and from avariety of materials such as polymeric materials, paper, cellophane orthe like. Typically, such materials are cut and shredded to producesegments having predetermined dimensions. As such, decorative grass,like Styrofoam peanuts and paper materials described above, can beinconvenient to clean up. Furthermore, the decorative grass can compressand lose its cushioning ability. Large amounts of decorative grass arenecessary, therefore, in order to overcome such compression and/orcompaction deficiencies.

To this end, a packaging material is needed that includes or mimics aplurality of resilient individual strips, strands, or units of material30 intertwined with one another or other organic or inorganic materialsthat may be bondably connected to a flexible inflatable substrate so asto form a unitary cushioning unit which overcomes the above-mentioneddisadvantages of prior art packaging materials and has the added benefitof providing a decorative border. It is to such a packaging materialthat the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) isdirected.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an inflatable packaging material (in itsuninflated configuration) constructed in accordance with the presentlydisclosed and claimed inventive concept(s).

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the inflatable packaging material of FIG.1.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the inflatable packaging material ofFIG. 1 in its inflated configuration.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a strip, strand, or unit of materialused to form the tuft of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of a system for making the strip,strand, or unit of material of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a basket having the inflatable packagingmaterial disposed therein with a plurality of objects or articlesdisplayed or cushioned thereon.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the inflatablepackaging material constructed in its inflated configuration inaccordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventiveconcept(s).

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a tall package illustrating theinflatable packaging material of FIG. 6 cushioning an article during ashipping process.

FIG. 8 is an elevational view of another embodiment of the packagingmaterial constructed in accordance with the presently disclosed andclaimed inventive concept(s).

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the inflatable packaging material ofFIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a basket showing the inflatablepackaging material of FIG. 9 inserted therein.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a strip, strand, or unit of materialused to form a tuft of the inflatable packaging material of thepresently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY DISCLOSED AND CLAIMED INVENTIVECONCEPT(S)

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the presently disclosed andclaimed inventive concept(s) in detail, it is to be understood that thepresently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) is not limited inits application to the details of construction and the arrangement ofthe components set forth in the following description or illustrated inthe drawings. The presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s)is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out invarious ways and as such all such embodiments and/or equivalents are tobe considered as being encompassed within the scope and description ofthe presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s). Also, it is tobe understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein isfor purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

The presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) relates,generally, to a packaging material for use in filling boxes, baskets,and in any container used to protect, store, and/or ship articles orobjects. In one embodiment, the packaging material includes aninflatable flexible bag having an interior surface and an exteriorsurface wherein the exterior surface has attached thereto a mass ofindividual, thin, flexible strips, strands, or units of materialintertwined with one another to form a cohesive, resilient tuft. Themass of individual strips, strands, or units of material may also beattached to one another as well as being disposed on the exteriorsurface of the inflatable flexible bag. Other embodiments are alsocontemplated for use and are disclosed herein. In an alternateembodiment the inflatable flexible bag is exchanged or replaced by aflexible inflatable substrate.

The packaging material formed according to the methods disclosed hereinmay be incorporated into a package which additionally includes acontainer, such as a box or basket, and an object positioned within thecontainer and on top of the packaging material. The packaging materialis arranged in the container to support the object when the object isdisposed in the container. The inflatable flexible bag may be caused tobond to the container and the object may be caused to bond to thepackaging material. In use, the packaging material is substantiallyinflated so as to take up excess room in the container and protectand/or cushion the object.

The objects, features and advantages of the presently disclosed andclaimed inventive concept(s) will become apparent from the followingdetailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings and appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings, and more specifically to FIGS. 1-3, aninflatable packaging material 10 constructed in accordance with thepresently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) is illustrated inFIG. 1. The inflatable packaging material 10 includes a tuft 20comprised of a plurality of individual strips, strands, or units ofmaterial 30 (FIG. 3) bondably connected to a flexible inflatablesubstrate 40. The plurality of individual strips, strands, or units ofmaterial 30 can be fabricated from any flexible sheet of materialincluding paper, crepe paper, polymeric film, laminated polymeric film,and waxed paper, for example. The flexible sheet of material from whichthe plurality of individual strips, strands, or units of material 30 arefabricated may have printed matter and/or one or more embossed patternson at least one side thereof, and the one or more embossed patterns maybe either in register or out of register with the printed pattern.

The plurality of individual strips, strands, or units of material 30 mayalso be organic or inorganic materials, including leaves, tree bark,branches, dirt, sand, sea shells, or any other type of organic orinorganic material that is capable of being bondably connected to theflexible inflatable substrate 40 to provide a decorative and/orcushioning effect. Furthermore, when the plurality of individual strips,strands, or units of material 30 are fabricated from a flexible sheet ofmaterial, additional inorganic and/or organic materials may be attachedonto or be incorporated into or within the flexible sheet of materialprior to or after its being used to fabricate the plurality ofindividual strips, strands, or units of material 30.

The printed pattern on the flexible sheet of material from which theplurality of individual strips, strands, or units of material 30 arefabricated can be printed in a conventional matter so that, when thesheet of material is slit and cut to produce the strips, strands, orunits of material 30, at least a substantial portion of the strips,strands, or units of material 30 contain at least a portion of theprinted pattern. Further, different colors can be employed to providethe printed pattern on the sheet of material from which the plurality ofindividual strips, strands, or units of material 30 is fabricated.

The sheet of material can also have one or more embossed patterns toprovide the sheet of material with an embossed pattern. Further, thesheet of material can be provided with an embossed pattern as well as aprinted pattern, and the embossed pattern can be either in register orout of register with the printed material and/or printed design.

The plurality of individual strips, strands, or units of material 30, asdescribed above, in one embodiment are commonly referred to as strands,or units of “Easter grass” or “decorative grass”, and such, decorativegrass has been used for many years for filling fruit baskets, Easterbaskets, and picnic baskets and for other decorative and packagingpurposes. The decorative grass of the prior art has been produced bynumerous methods and from a variety of materials, such as those listedabove. Typically, such materials are shredded and cut to producesegmented strips having predetermined dimensions. While the prior artmethods for making decorative grass have been widely accepted, newtechniques for facilitating the use of decorative grass as a packagingmaterial have been sought in view of the fact that decorative grass andother loose shredded packaging material readily fall onto the floor,cling to various objects making them awkward and inconvenient to cleanup, and compact and thereby no longer adequately cushion and/or protectthe items placed thereon.

By connecting the tuft 20 (composed of a plurality of the strips,strands, or units of material 30) to the flexible inflatable substrate40, the clean up problems associated with loose fill materials arealleviated and, because the flexible inflatable substrate 40 is capableof being inflated, the compacting problems with loose fill are alsoalleviated and lesser amounts of material are required. The flexibleinflatable substrate 40 can also be caused to adhere or cohere to anobject and/or the container in which it is placed thereby resulting inan enhanced packaging effect. That is, with loose packaging materials,the object being packaged has a tendency to gravitate through thepackaging material to the bottom of the container thereby reducing theeffectiveness of the packaging material. By using the inflatablepackaging material 10 disclosed herein, the cohesiveness of theinflatable packaging material 10 surrounding the object prevents theobject from gravitating through the container and coming to rest in thebottom of the container.

As best shown in FIG. 2, the flexible inflatable substrate 40, in oneembodiment, is fabricated of a first sheet of material 50 and a secondsheet of material 60. It will be appreciated that the dimensions of theflexible inflatable substrate 40 may be further varied and the shape ofthe flexible inflatable substrate 40 may also, therefore, bevariable—e.g., a circle, square, triangle, heart, an animal shape, afloral shape, etc. The flexible inflatable substrate 40 can be anyflexible sheet of material, such as paper, crepe paper, wax paper,polymeric film, laminated polymeric film, fabric, cellulose, and foil.The flexible inflatable substrate 40 may have printed matter and/or oneor more embossed patterns on at least one side thereof, and the one ormore embossed patterns can be either in register or out of register withthe printed pattern. Different colors can be employed to provide theprinted pattern on the flexible inflatable substrate 40. For example,the printed pattern may be a pictorial representation or color or shapeof the plurality of individual strips, strands, or units of material 30such that when a small amount of the plurality of individual strips,strands, or units of material 30, forming the tuft 20 are bonded to theflexible inflatable substrate 40, the printed pattern fills in the voidsbetween the plurality of individual strips, strands, or units ofmaterial 30 such that it appears that there are few or no actual voidsof the plurality of individual strips, strands, or units of material 30on the flexible inflatable substrate 40 thereby resulting in anaesthetically pleasing inflatable packaging material 10 that appears tobe fully covered with the individual strips, strands, or units ofmaterial 30.

The flexible inflatable substrate 40 can also be embossed so as toprovide the flexible inflatable substrate 40 with an embossed pattern.Further, the flexible inflatable substrate 40 can be provided with oneor more embossed patterns as well as a printed pattern, and the one ormore embossed patterns can be either in register or out of register (orpartially both) with the printed material.

The first sheet of material 50 and the second sheet of material 60 ofthe flexible inflatable substrate 40 may be constructed of a singlelayer of material or a plurality of layers of the same or differenttypes of materials. In addition, any thickness of the first sheet ofmaterial 50 and the second sheet of material 60 of the flexibleinflatable substrate 40 may be utilized with the presently disclosed andclaimed inventive concept(s). The first sheet of material 50 has anouter peripheral edge 70 and the second sheet of material 60 has anouter peripheral edge 80. The outer peripheral edge 70 of the firstsheet of material 50 is bonded via a bonding material 90 to the outerperipheral edge 80 of the second sheet of material 60 to provide anddefine an expandable interior inflation space 100. Means for inflating110 the flexible inflatable substrate 40 is placed within the expandableinterior inflation space 100.

The means for inflating 110 the flexible inflatable substrate 40 may beany composition or assembly capable of inflating the expandable interiorinflation space 100 to provide and place the inflatable packagingmaterial 10 in its inflated configuration. For example, the means forinflating 110 the flexible inflatable substrate 40 may be associatedwith an exterior surface 120 of the flexible inflatable substrate 40 andbe in fluid communication with the expandable interior inflation space100—e.g., a tube capable of being sealed off after air and/or othergases and/or liquids are passed into the expandable interior inflationspace 100.

In an alternative embodiment the means for inflating 110 the expandableinterior inflation space 100 is an exothermic reaction assembly wherein,when the exothermic reaction assembly is activated, an exothermicreaction takes place thereby producing a gas capable of filling at leasta portion of the expandable interior inflation space 100 of the flexibleinflatable substrate 40. The exothermic reaction assembly may furtherinclude at least two chambers wherein at least one other chambercontains a weak basic composition and at least one chamber contains aweak acid composition that, when brought into reactive contact with oneanother (e.g., breaking each open to intermix the weak acid compositionwith the weak basic composition), react and form a gaseous reactionproduct that substantially fills the expandable interior inflation space100 of the flexible inflatable substrate 40. The weak basic compositionmay in one embodiment include a Group I or Group II element. Forexample, the weak basic composition may be selected from the groupconsisting of sodium carbonate, calcium carbonate, and combinationsthereof. The weak acid may be vinegar. Although certain compositionshave been set forth as being included in the exothermic reactionassembly, any combination of compositions that, when placed in reactivecontact with one another, produce a gaseous reaction that substantiallyfills the expandable interior inflation space 100 of the flexibleinflatable substrate 40 are considered for use.

Although the flexible inflatable substrate 40 is shown in FIGS. 1-2 asbeing square, the flexible inflatable substrate 40 may be any shape. Forexample, the flexible inflatable substrate 40 may be square,rectangular, circular or any other geometric or fanciful shape. Theshape of the flexible inflatable substrate 40 may even have anirregular, capricious or decorative shape.

To receive the tuft 20, the exterior surface 120 of the flexibleinflatable substrate 40 is coated with a bonding material 130 (which maybe the same as the bonding material 90) such as an adhesive or cohesivewhereby the tuft 20 is caused to bond to the exterior surface 120 of theflexible inflatable substrate 40 as illustrated in FIG. 1. As shown inFIG. 2, the bonding material 130 is disposed on the entire exteriorsurface 120 of the flexible inflatable substrate 40—i.e., on each of thefirst sheet of material 50 and the second sheet of material 60.Alternatively, the bonding material 130 may be applied in such a manneras to substantially coat only one of the first sheet of material 50 orthe second sheet of material 60 of the flexible inflatable substrate 40.It will be further appreciated that the bonding material 130 may bedisposed on the first sheet of material 50 and/or the second sheet ofmaterial 60 in any of a variety of patterns such as strips, circles,dots or any other geometric or biomorphic shape, including decorativedesigns, so long as the bonding material 130 is positioned to functionin accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventiveconcept(s).

The term “bonding material” as used herein can mean an adhesive,frequently a pressure sensitive adhesive, or a cohesive or anyadhesive/cohesive combination, having adhesive qualities (i.e.,qualities of adhesion or adhesion/cohesion, respectively) sufficient toeffect the connection between portions of the tuft 20 brought intoengagement with the flexible inflatable substrate 40. It will beappreciated that both adhesives and cohesives suitable for the purposesdescribed herein are well known in the art, and both are commerciallyavailable.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a system 140 for making the individualstrips, strands, or units of material 30 in accordance with thepresently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s). The system 140includes a roll of material 150 supported on a shaft 160 having a brakeassembly 170 operably connected thereto for controlling the rate ofwithdrawal of the roll of material 150.

The roll of material 150 provides a web of sheet material 180 which ispassed through a slitter 190. The slitter 190 includes a plurality ofspaced apart, stationary knives or other conventional cutting mechanism,which slit or cut the web of sheet material 180 into the individualstrips, strands, or units of material 30 of into a desired width.

The slitted web of sheet material 180 is thereafter passed into a cutter200 where the slitted web of sheet material 180 is cut intopredetermined lengths so as to form the individual strips, strands, orunits of material 30. From the cutter 200, the individual strips,strands, or units of material 30 are conveyed by a conveyor unit 210,which is in the form of a centrifugal blower, to a storage area (notshown) which may be in the form of a suitable bin, packaging machine, orthe like.

As an alternative to forming the individual strips, strands, or units ofmaterial 30 from the roll of material 150, it will be appreciated thatthe individual strips, strands, or units of material 30 may be formedfrom a polymeric film discharged from a film extrusion die which is thenchilled prior to the slitting process. Such a method is disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 4,292,266, entitled “Process for Making Decorative Grass”,issued to Weder et al. on Sep. 29, 1981, which is hereby expresslyincorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the individual strips, strands, or units ofmaterial 30 tend to curl and form folds during the forming process. Itwill be appreciated that these curls and folds contribute to theresiliency and bulkiness or fluffiness of the tuft 20 produced byamassing and intertwining a plurality of the individual strips, strands,or units of material 30. It will be further appreciated that the degreeto which the individual strips, strands, or units of material 30 arecurled and folded can vary dependant on several factors, such as thetype of material used to form the individual strips, strands, or unitsof material 30.

To assemble the inflatable packaging material 10, the individual strips,strands, or units of material 30 are amassed and intertwined to form thetuft 20 and then the tuft 20 is bondably connected to the flexibleinflatable substrate 40 (FIG. 2). Thereafter, and as shown in FIG. 2A,the means for inflating 110 is activated such that the expandableinterior inflation space 100 is inflated and the inflatable packagingmaterial 10 is provided.

FIG. 5 illustrates one use of the inflatable packaging material 10described above. The inflatable packaging material 10 is shown in itsinflated configuration after the means for inflating 110 has beenactivated (i.e., the expandable interior inflation space 100 isinflated) and is disposed in a basket 220 to support a plurality ofarticles or objects 230, such as candies or Easter eggs, for display.More specifically, the inflatable packaging material 10 is positioned inan interior 240 of the basket 220 such that the flexible inflatablesubstrate 40 substantially conforms to the contour of the interior 240of the basket 220 thereby lining the interior 240 of the basket 220 withthe individual strips, strands, or units of material 30 forming the tuft20 that is bonded to the flexible inflatable substrate 40 to form theinflatable packaging material 10. If the second sheet of material 60 ofthe flexible inflatable substrate 40 is provided with the bondingmaterial 22, the second sheet of material 60 of the flexible inflatablesubstrate 40 can be bondably connected to the interior 240 of the basket220. In addition, the bonding material 22 on the second sheet ofmaterial 60 of the flexible inflatable substrate 40 causes theinflatable packaging material 10 to remain in place in the basket 220.If the second sheet of material 60 of the flexible inflatable substrate40 is not provided with the bonding material 22, the flexible inflatablesubstrate 40 simply rests in the interior 240 of the basket 220.

FIG. 6 illustrates a modified inflatable packaging material 10 a whichis identical in construction to the inflatable packaging material 10illustrated in FIG. 1 with the exception that the inflatable packagingmaterial 10 a has elongated sidewalls 250 that upon activating the meansfor inflating 110 the expandable interior inflation space 100 providethe inflatable packaging material 10 a with a height 260. The tuft 20may be connected to the first sheet of material 50 and/or the secondsheet of material 60 and/or the elongated sidewalls 250. It will beappreciated that such a configuration will facilitate insertion of theinflatable packaging material 10 a into a tall square container. Forexample, FIG. 7 illustrates the inflatable packaging material 10 adisposed in a tall square container 270 so as to provide an interior 240a of the tall square container 270 with an inflatable packaging material10 a. The inflatable packaging material 10 a is being used as apackaging material for protecting an article 46 disposed in the tallsquare container 270. In this manner, the tuft 20 of the inflatablepackaging material 10 a functions to cushion the plurality of articlesor objects 230 during transport.

Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10, an inflatable packaging material 300constructed in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimedinventive concept(s) is illustrated. The inflatable packaging material300 includes a tuft or mass 310 of individual, thin, flexible strips,strands or units of material 320, commonly referred to as decorativegrass or Easter grass (although the tuft 310 may be fabricated from thesame or similar material as tuft 20 disclosed hereinabove), disposedupon an exterior surface 330 of an flexible inflatable bag 340. It willbe appreciated that tufts of decorative grass are often packaged looselyin a bag whereby when it is desired to utilize the decorative grass, thebag is opened and the grass removed. The inflatable packaging material300 is unique in that the flexible inflatable bag 340 is used inconjunction with the tuft 310 on the exterior surface 330 in a mannersimilar to that described above in relation to the inflatable packagingmaterial 10. That is, in addition to functioning as a substrate for thetuft 310, the flexible inflatable bag 340 is capable of being inflatedwhile holding the tuft 310 to thereby clean up the problems associatedwith loose fill materials and provide a more economical and cushioningpackaging material.

The structure of the flexible inflatable bag 340 can be that of anyflexible inflatable bag suitable for being used in a packaging manner.For example, the flexible inflatable bag 340 can be fabricated from asheet of material having a relatively small thickness and being of thetype commonly referred to in the art as a “film”. More particularly, thesheet of material can be a processed, man-made organic polymer filmselected from the group of films consisting of polypropylene, polyvinylchloride, or combinations thereof. However, it is to be noted that thesheet of material may also be constructed from a material selected froma group of materials consisting of plastic film, cellophane, paper,cloth, or combinations thereof. Alternatively, the flexible inflatablebag 340 may be of the type used typically to package sandwiches, such asa Glad™ sandwich bag. The flexible inflatable bag 340 may also be acorsage bag, a balloon, a water storage bag, or any flexible bag orcontainer that is capable of being inflated.

The flexible inflatable bag 340 is characterized as having the exteriorsurface 330 as well as an interior surface 350 with the interior surface350 defining an expandable interior inflation space 360. As best shownin FIG. 10, the exterior surface 330 of the flexible inflatable bag 340is coated with a bonding material 370, such as an adhesive or cohesive,whereby the tuft 310 is caused to bond to the exterior surface 330 ofthe flexible inflatable bag 340 upon being disposed on the flexibleinflatable bag 340. The flexible inflatable bag 340 illustrated in FIG.10 has the bonding material 370 disposed on substantially the entireexterior surface 330. Alternatively, the bonding material 370 may beapplied in such a manner as to substantially coat only a portion of theexterior surface 330 of the flexible inflatable bag 340. It will befurther appreciated that the bonding material 370 may be disposed on theexterior surface 330 of the flexible inflatable bag 340 in any of avariety of patterns such as strips, circles, dots or any other geometricor biomorphic shape, including decorative designs, so long as thebonding material 370 is positioned to function in accordance with thepresently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s). The tuft 310 isdisposed on the flexible inflatable bag 340 in any manner which is knownin the art, such as automatically passing the tuft 310 through a tube(not shown) which is disposed generally above the flexible inflatablebag 340, or the flexible inflatable bag 340 may be dipped, rolled, ordropped into a plurality of tufts 310 such that the tufts 310 stick tothe exterior surface 330 of the flexible inflatable bag 340.

Upon the tuft 310 being placed onto the flexible inflatable bag 340, thetuft 310 will bondingly connect to the exterior surface 330 of theflexible inflatable bag 340 via the bonding material 370. After the tuft310 has been disposed onto the flexible inflatable bag 340, the flexibleinflatable bag 340 may be inflated via a means for inflating 380 theflexible inflatable bag 340 disposed in the expandable interiorinflation space 360 to form the inflatable packaging material 300. Themeans for inflating 380 the flexible inflatable bag 340 is the same asthe means for inflating 110 the flexible inflatable substrate 40 of theinflatable packing material 10 as described hereinabove. It should beappreciated that with the tuft 310 disposed on the flexible inflatablebag 340, the flexible inflatable bag 340 can be stored, transported, anddisplayed in a conventional manner when it is in its inflatedconfiguration or in its non-inflated configuration.

In addition to, or as an alternative to coating the exterior surface 330of the flexible inflatable bag 340 with the bonding material 370, thetuft 310 may be connected to the exterior surface 330 of the flexibleinflatable bag 340 via a bonding material 390 (FIG. 13) provided on theindividual strips, strands, or units of material 320 making up the tuft310. The bonding material 390 may be an adhesive or cohesive whereby theindividual strips, strands, or units of material 320 are caused to sticktogether when a plurality of the strips, strands, or units of material320 are amassed to form the tuft 310. The strips, strands, or units ofmaterial 320 may be spot coated wherein the bonding material 390 isdisposed as randomly disposed spots on the individual strips, strands,or units of material 320. It will be appreciated, however, that thebonding material 390 may be applied in such a manner as to substantiallycover the strips, strands, or units of material 320. Further, thebonding material 390 may be disposed on the strips, strands, or units ofmaterial 320 in any of a variety of other patterns such as circles, dotsor any other geometric or biomorphic shape, including decorativedesigns, so long as the bonding material 390 is positioned to functionin accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventiveconcept(s).

FIG. 11 illustrates one use of the inflatable packaging material 300described above. The inflatable packaging material 300 is shown disposedin a basket 400 and supporting a plurality of articles or objects 410,such as candies or Easter eggs, for display. More specifically, aportion of the flexible inflatable bag 340 has been removed so as toexpose the tuft 310 while the tuft remains connected to the exteriorsurface 330 of the flexible inflatable bag 340.

With the flexible inflatable bag 340 inflatable, the inflatablepackaging material 300 may then be positioned in an interior 420 of thebasket 400 such that the flexible inflatable bag 340 substantiallyconforms to the contour of the interior 420 of the basket 400 andthereby lines the interior 420 of the basket 400 with the plurality ofarticles or objects 230 being supported by the tuft 310 and the tuft 310being held in the basket 400.

It will be appreciated that coating the tuft 310 with a bonding materialin the manner discussed above provides an additional advantage ofimproved object support. That is, with loose packaging materials,objects being packaged often have a tendency to gravitate through thepackaging material to the bottom of the container thereby reducing theeffectiveness of the packaging material. By providing a bonding materialon the individual strips, strands, or units of material 320 making upthe tuft 310, the cohesiveness of the tuft 310 supporting the pluralityof articles or objects 410 prevent the plurality of articles or objects410 from gravitating through the tuft 310.

As shown in FIG. 9, the exterior surface 330 of the flexible inflatablebag 340 may also be provided with a bonding material 430. In thisinstance, the bonding material 430 would be provided with a backing orrelease strip 440 to protect the bonding qualities of the bondingmaterial 430 and to prevent adjacent bags from bonding to one anotherduring shipping and storage. By providing the exterior surface 330 ofthe flexible inflatable bag 340 with the bonding material 430 (as shownin FIG. 9), the exterior surface 330 of the flexible inflatable bag 340can be bondably connected to an interior 420 of the basket 400 to holdthe inflatable packaging material 300 in the basket 400. In addition,the bonding material 430 on the exterior surface 330 of the flexibleinflatable bag 340 will cause overlapping portions of the flexibleinflatable bag 340 to be bondably connected so as to retain the shape ofthe flexible inflatable bag 340 after it has been shaped to conform tothe contour of the interior 240 of the basket 400. If the exteriorsurface 330 of the flexible inflatable bag 340 is not provided with thebonding material 430, the flexible inflatable bag 340 is simply shapedto conform to the contour of the interior 420 of the basket 400.

In using the inflatable packaging material 300 described above, itshould be appreciated that a single unit of the inflatable packagingmaterial 300 can be used in a container or on a surface or multipleunits of the inflatable packaging material 300 can be used by eithernesting one inflatable packaging material 300 into another inflatablepackaging material 300 or otherwise layering one inflatable packagingmaterial 300 on top of another inflatable packaging material 300,thereby increasing the volume and/or density of the inflatable packagingmaterial 300.

From the above description it is clear that the presently disclosed andclaimed inventive concept(s) is well adapted to carry out the objectsand to attain the advantages mentioned herein as well as those inherentin the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s). Whilepresently preferred embodiments of the presently disclosed and claimedinventive concept(s) have been described for purposes of thisdisclosure, it will be understood that numerous changes may be madewhich will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art andwhich are accomplished within the spirit of the inventive concept(s)disclosed and as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A package, comprising: a container having an interior; a packaging material disposed within the interior of the container, the packaging material adapted to support and cushion an object and comprising a flexible inflatable bag having an exterior surface and an interior surface, the interior surface defining an expandable interior inflation space, the packaging material further comprising at least one strip, strand, or unit of material disposed on the exterior surface of the flexible inflatable bag and within the interior of the container; and at least one object disposed on the packaging material and within the interior of the container, whereby the packaging material supports and cushions the object within the interior of the container.
 2. The package of claim 1, wherein the container is a basket.
 3. The package of claim 1, wherein the at least one object comprises at least one of a candy and an Easter egg.
 4. The package of claim 1, wherein the packaging material further includes an inflation assembly for inflating the flexible inflatable bag, and wherein at least one of: (a) the inflation assembly is disposed in the expandable interior inflation space of the flexible inflatable bag; (b) the inflation assembly is associated with the exterior surface of the flexible bag and is in fluid communication with the expandable interior inflation space of the flexible inflatable bag; and (c) the inflation assembly includes an exothermic reaction assembly, wherein when the exothermic reaction assembly is activated, an exothermic reaction takes place thereby producing a gas capable of filling at least a portion of the expandable interior inflation space of the flexible bag.
 5. The package of claim 1, wherein the exterior surface of the flexible inflatable bag of the packaging material includes a decorative effect.
 6. The package of claim 1, wherein the packaging material is bondingly connected to the interior of the container.
 7. The package of claim 1, wherein the object is bondingly connected to the packaging material.
 8. The package of claim 7, wherein a bonding material is disposed on the at least one strip, strand or unit of material disposed on the exterior surface of the flexible inflatable bag disposed within the interior of the container.
 9. The package of claim 1, wherein the at least one strip, strand or unit of material is further defined as a plurality of strands of decorative grass.
 10. The package of claim 1, wherein the packaging material substantially conforms to a contour of the interior of the container and thereby lines the interior of the container with the at least one object being supported by the packaging material held within the interior of the container.
 11. A method of packaging at least one object, the method comprising the steps of: disposing a packaging material into an interior of a container, the packaging material adapted to support and cushion an object and comprising a flexible inflatable bag having an exterior surface and an interior surface, the interior surface defining an expandable interior inflation space, the packaging material further comprising at least one strip, strand, or unit of material disposed on the exterior surface of the flexible inflatable bag and within the interior of the container; and disposing at least one object on the packaging material disposed within the interior of the container, whereby the packaging material supports and cushions the object within the interior of the container.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the container is a basket.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one object comprises at least one of a candy and an Easter egg.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the packaging material further includes an inflation assembly for inflating the flexible inflatable bag, and wherein at least one of: (a) the inflation assembly is disposed in the expandable interior inflation space of the flexible inflatable bag; (b) the inflation assembly is associated with the exterior surface of the flexible bag and is in fluid communication with the expandable interior inflation space of the flexible inflatable bag; and (c) the inflation assembly includes an exothermic reaction assembly, wherein when the exothermic reaction assembly is activated, an exothermic reaction takes place thereby producing a gas capable of filling at least a portion of the expandable interior inflation space of the flexible bag.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein the exterior surface of the flexible inflatable bag of the packaging material includes a decorative effect.
 16. The method of claim 11, wherein the packaging material is bondingly connected to the interior of the container.
 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the object is bondingly connected to the packaging material.
 18. The package of claim 17, wherein a bonding material is disposed on the at least one strip, strand or unit of material disposed on the exterior surface of the flexible inflatable bag disposed within the interior of the container.
 19. The package of claim 11, wherein the at least one strip, strand or unit of material disposed on the exterior surface of the flexible inflatable bag is further defined as a plurality of strands of decorative grass disposed on the exterior surface of the flexible inflatable bag.
 20. The package of claim 11, wherein the packaging material substantially conforms to a contour of the interior of the container and thereby lines the interior of the container with the at least one object being supported by the packaging material held within the interior of the container. 